Brother, do the right thing!

2009-05-13T11:42:00.007+01:00

Fa(r)twa and more hot air

Shaikh alert (part 387)

Below is an unedited and uncensored ruling regarding the ever-popular Mr Walid el Saadi
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Ruling against slandering Sheikh Walid El Saadi

Spreading rumours without verifying authenticity are among the grave sins such as kufr and murder

Fatwa according to Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Ifta, Camperdown

Question
A letter has been circulating of which you are aware. They contain false allegations about me.

1. I would appreciate it if you would issue a fatwa regarding this sort of slander which;

contains information without proof

comes from a person that does not disclose his/her name (and remains anonymous)

What is the sha’ri ruling from the Qura’aan and Sunnah towards a person that propagates these rumours?

2. What is the ruling regarding the position of a person who forwards this e-mail from one person to the next?

An excerpt from the blog:
“ A warning to the South African Ummah about a big conman from Lebanon This is a warning to the Muslim community to be careful about dealing with a person who has been ripping us off for a long time. He says that he is a Shaikh from Lebanon. Our investigation shows that this is a big lie. He is NOT a Shaikh or alim. ….”

Mufti Ebrahim Desai’s Fatwa Denounces Slander

Sheikh Walid El Saadi
Assalamualikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

We refer to your email of 14 March 2009
At the outset, we wish to state that we have read the blog on which the letter has been published as well as the comments that are posted.

Allah Taa’la has created all human beings equal. There is no virtue and status of any person based on colour, creed or gender. Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) stated in his farewell sermon
يظ ذُ أحمذ - )ج 51 / ؽ 244)
يَب أَيُّهَب ان بَُّصُ أَلاَ إِ رَثَّكُىِ وَاحِذْ وَإِ أَثَبكُىِ وَاحِذْ أَلاَ لاَ فَضِمَ نِعَزَثِ عَهَ أَعِدَ وَلاَ نِعَدَ عَهَ عَزَثِ وَلاَ لأَحِ زًََ عَهَ أَطِىَدَ وَلاَ أَطِىَدَ عَهَ أَحِ زًََ إِلاَّ
ثِبنزَّمْىَي

O! People verily your Lord is one and your ancestors are one. Behold there is no virtue for an Arab over a non Arab there is no virtue for white over black except in Taqwa (piety)
(Musnad Ahmad Page 244 Vol.51).

Being the citizens of one Ummah, it is important that we strive to sow the seeds of unity rather than being an agent of discord and animosity in the Ummah. One of the driving forces behind animosity and hatred is unfounded perceptions and assumptions. Allah Taa’la advices in the Quraan
يَب أَيُّهَب انَّذِي آَيَ ىُا اخِزَ جُُِىا كَثِيرّا يِ انظَّ إِ ثَعِضَ انظَّ إِثْىْ وَنَب رَدَظَّظُىا وَنَب يَغِزَتِ ثَعِضُكُىِ ثَعِضّب أَيُحِتُّ أَحَذُكُىِ أَ يَأْكُمَ نَحِىَ أَخِي يَيِزّب فَكَزِ زُِْ ىًُ وَارَّمُىا
انهَّ إِ انهَّ رَىَّاةْ رَحِيىْ ) 12 )
O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion. Indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another….(Surah Hujuraat Verse 12)
In one narration Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said
صحيح انجخبري - )ج 17 / ؽ 210)
إِيَّبكُىِ وَانظَّ ، فَإِ « حَذَّثَ بَُ يَحِيَ ثِ ثُكَيِزٍ حَذَّثَ بَُ انهَّيِثُ عَ خَعِفَزِ ثِ رَثِيعَخَ عَ الأَعِزَجِ لَبلَ لَبلَ أَثُى زَُْيِزَحَ يَأْثُزُ عَ ان جَُِّ - صه الله عهي وطهى - لَبلَ
انظَّ أَكْذَةُ انْحَذِيثِ ، وَلاَ رَدَظَّظُىا ، وَلاَ رَحَظَّظُىا ، وَلاَ رَجَبغَضُىا ، وَكُى ىَُا إِخِىَا بَّ
“Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales……..” (Sahih Bukhari 210/17)
Furthermore, apart from sowing discord and disunity in the Ummah, the person spreading false rumours and accusations suffers in the hereafter.

Rasulullah (صلى اله عليه وسلم ) asked the Sahabah do you know who is a pauper. Thereafter he said “a person who would come on the day of Judgement with a lot of good deeds but because he had slandered someone, abused someone, his good deeds would be taken and given to those whom he had oppressed until all his good deeds will become exhausted. He is a pauper in reality.

In view of the above, it is imperative that if any person has been fed with information, it is his/her responsibility to verify the accuracy of that information. Allah Taa’la states
يَب أَيُّهَب انَّذِي آَيَ ىُُا إِ خَبءَكُىِ فَبطِكْ ثِ جَُإٍ فَزَجَيَّ ىُُا أَ رُصِيجُىا لَىِيّب ثِدَهَبنَخٍ فَزُصِجِحُىا عَهَ يَب فَعَهْزُىِ بََدِيِينَ
Translation: O! You, who believe if any information is given to you, verify it lest you would be misguided and regret over your actions (Hujuraat: 6)

The sin of spreading rumours without verifying is authenticity has been mentioned in the Ahaadith. Those who circulate false rumours and publicize wrong information with regards to others are surely guilty of a Kabeera (major sin). In fact Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) has mentioned false rumours among grave sins such as Kufr and murder.
انظ انكبري نهجيهمي - )ج 10 / ؽ 186)
ع ا ضَ طئم رطىل الله صه الله عهي وطهى ع انكجبئز فمبل الاػزان ثبلله وعمىق انىانذي ولزم ان فُض وػهبدح انشور أو لبل ولىل انشور - اخزخب في
انصحيح ي حذيث ػعجخ
Anas Radiallahu Anhu narrates that Rasulullah (صلى اله عليه وسلم ) was asked with regards to the major sins. He replied ascribing partners with Almighty Allah, disobeying parents, killing unjustly, and false testimony (Bayhaqi 186/10)
Apart from spreading false information and rumours, the person conceals his identity so that he may absolve himself from any claim in the public. If the initiator of the rumours is convinced that he is right with regards to his claims, he/she should take the courage and be prepared to challenge his claim. It is indeed an act of cowardice to make a serious allegations and remain anonymous. As a matter of principle, anonymous claims must be dealt with the contempt it deserves and should not be recognized at all.

A person fed with information should do the respectable thing to enquire from the “accused” with regards to the reliability of such information. Experience will bear testimony that 9 out of 10 times when the information is verified with the “accused”, the issues are completely misinterpreted or sometimes false. Upon such clarification, it becomes the incumbent duty of the person to go and caution the original source that such information is unfounded and he/she must desist from slander and falsehood.

The spirit of a Mu’min is to conceal the flaws and faults of a fellow believer. It is unbecoming and does not behove the dignity of a Mu’min to deliberately expose the faults of another Mu’min.
صحيح انجخبري - )ج 9 / ؽ 97)
« انْ ظًُِهِىُ أَخُى انْ ظًُِهِىِ ، لاَ يَظْهِ وَلاَ يُظِهِ ، وَيَ كَب فِ حَبخَخِ أَخِي كَب انهَّ فِ حَبخَزِ ، وَيَ فَزَّجَ عَ يُظِهِىٍ كُزِثَخً فَزَّجَ انهَّ عَ كُزِثَخً يِ كُزُثَبدِ
طزف . » يَىِوِ انْمِيَبيَخِ ، وَيَ طَزَزَ يُظِهِ بًّ طَزَزَ انهَّ يَىِوَ انْمِيَبيَخِ 6951 - تحفخ 6877
“Whoever conceals the fault of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the day of Qiyaamah” (Sahih Bukhari Hadith # 2242).

In fact Rasulullah صلى اله عليه وسلم encouraged the Sahabah not to indulge in exposing the faults of fellow believers. Consider the Hadith wherein he said
س انجيهم - )ج 2 / ؽ 407)
21696- أَخِجَزَ بََ عَهِ ثِ أَحِ ذًَ ثِ عَجِذَا أَ جََِأَ بََ أَحِ ذًَُ ثِ عُجَيِذٍ انصَّفَّبرُ حَذَّثَ بَُ الأَطِفَبطِ حَذَّثَ بَُ أَحِ ذًَُ ثِ عَجِذِ انهَّ ثِ يُى ضَُ حَذَّثَ بَُ أَثُى ثَكْزِ ثِ عَيَّبعٍ عَ يَب يَعِؼَزَ يَ آيَ ثِهِظَب وَنَىِ يَذِخُمِ الإِيمَب فِ لَهْجِ «: - الأَعِ غًَِ عَ طَعِيذِ ثِ عَجِذِ انهَّ ثِ خُزَيِحٍ عَ أَثِ ثَزِسَحَ لَبلَ لَبلَ رَطُىلُ انهَّ -صه الله عهي وطهى
لاَ رَغِزَبثُىا انْ ظًُِهِ يًِنَ وَلاَ رَزَّجِعُىا عَىِرَارِهِىِ فَإِ يَ رَجِعَ عَىِرَحَ أَخِي انْ ظًُِهِىِ ارَّجَعَ انهَّ عَىِرَرَ وَفَضَحَ وَ ىَُْ فِ ثَيِذ ».
“O! Those who accepted Imaan with their tongues and the Imaan has not reached their hearts, do not backbite fellow Muslims and do not search for their faults for certainly who exposes the faults of others, Allah will expose his faults and disgrace him in his own home” (Bayhaqi 407/2)

Those who have an agenda to defame another Mu’min should stop and ponder a moment on the consequence of their evil intentions. His evil agenda could possibly affect his life and his family’s life for which he will regret in this world and the next.

If a person has concerns regarding a person’s character or dealings, he/she should address these concerns through proper channels and forums with utmost respect and dignity. If a person is genuinely motivated by the spirit of brotherhood and reformation, he would address his concerns in the most dignified way possible and will certainly not resort to foul play in denigrating a person.

If a person has used foul tactics as in the email circulated, that person has violated the right of dignity and will surely be answerable in the court of Almighty Allah. In this instance, apart from the merits or demerits of the accusation, those who have given rise to such filthy tactics are surely guilty of Zulm (oppression) for which they would have to seek forgiveness.

Furthermore, we are privy to intimate information regarding the collection of funds in the name of S.A.R.A (South African Relief Agency). The contents in the defamatory letter are certainly misleading and lack merit.
Those guilty of this sin should make Tawbah for the sin and furthermore go to all those whom he/she had passed that false information to and clarify that the information given to them was incorrect and inaccurate. The acceptance of the Tawbah will be suspended upon him clarifying his inexact position to all those whom he had spoken to or his message has reached.

Anyone who further passes that information on will also be guilty of a sin and will have to follow the procedure mentioned above to have the sin remitted from Allah.

Remember participating and perpetrating such evil could cost you your Akirah. Fear Allah!
Today its someone else, tomorrow you could be the victim!

And Allah Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai

2009-03-05T12:06:00.003Z

Another Shaikh fraud alert........and he is close to the other convicted fraudster
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A warning to the South African Ummah about a big conman from Lebanon

This is a warning to the Muslim community to be careful about dealing with a person who has been ripping us off for a long time. He says that he is a Shaikh from Lebanon. Our investigation shows that this is a big lie. He is NOT a Shaikh or alim. He was working on the docks in Jeddah. From there he went to study Scientology in Germany.

From the time he came he has been taking people for a ride. He has been borrowing money and not paying back and renting premises and not paying rent and many other things. Most people in Durban and surrounding towns know about this but are afraid to confront him.

He rented his filling station in Albert Street from the Blind Society and owed them hundreds of thousands of rands in rent. He put the garage and all his assets in his son's name. When they said they will take him to court he began crying and said that he will give them some money in settlement. The Society lost a lot of money.

He rented the Anjuman school in Leopold Street . He did not pay the rent for many months. It was a very large amount. Mr Essop Timol tried to get the money out of him but failed and there was a big argument between them.

He bought cars from a well-known person from Overport to sell in Swaziland and did not pay all the money back. He said this was because the people in Swaziland did not pay him for all the cars.

He cleared goods from Saudi Arabia at the Durban port for a man from Medina and there was supposed to be an equal share of profits. He sold the goods and ate all the money up.

People know of his crooked ways and he is banned from speaking on Radio Ansaar and at the Sparks Rd. Masjid and other masjids. But he is getting lot of credibility from Channel Islam where he has a programme. Everyone should call Cii and tell them that they are giving a platform to a dishonest man.

He takes Arab vistors to tour Dawah centres and speaks to them in Arabic and says to them that he is in charge of the centres. He promises the managers of these centres that he will give them the money he gets from these Arabs. But they receive nothing.

He toured with a mufti from Zimbabwe around Durban and other KZN towns and told the musallees in mosques quietly that the mufti's trip cost a lot of money and people should donate money to him personally without the Mufti knowing.

His biggest crime is that for a long time he has been talking about Palestine and collecting money from the people. He has collected hundreds of thousands of rands from events such as the Naqbah exhibition. He travelled with Sh. Raed Salah and told the people that the sheikh is not here to collect money 'but we should give as much as possible without counting how much.' There is no account of the hundreds of thousands of rands that people gave him.

There are many more stories of this man's dishonest dealings. We urge the community to call this man to account. It is time for the truth to come out. It is vital for the Jamiats and leading ulema to call on the community to come forward to report to them about whether they have been cheated by this man. Thereafter they must inform the community about the outcome.

Please fax or email this to as many people as possible. It is your duty to warn the Ummah

Sent by Concerned Muslims

2007-02-13T15:52:00.000Z

Questions for Sheikh, Prof, Imam, Dr, Shaheed Satardien...which title is it anyway?

1. What degree did he obtain in Saudi Arabia?

2. Can he produce any certificates to prove this?

3. Did he obtain a Phd at Madina University or any other university or college in Saudi Arabia?

4. Did he get his doctrate at a university in South Africa?

5. Which university? Can he produce any certificate to prove this?

6. Was he ever an informer for the South African police?

7. Why does the Muslim community in Cape Town regard him as a supporter of the Apartheid policies in the 1980's?

2007-02-08T14:51:00.000Z

The Serial Brown Noser (SBN) strikes again!

Shahid Malik is so high up Tony Blair's butt, the only thing visible are his shoes

No 10 rejects police state claim

Muslim Labour MP Shahid Malik said: "I can understand Abu Bakr's anger and hurt but it definitely doesn't lead to the conclusion that we're in a police state.

"It's really important that people do remain patient and let justice take its course."

BBC, 8 February 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6342277.stm

2007-02-01T12:09:00.000Z

"MP" does not mean Muslim Parliamentarian.....it means Multiple Prat!

"Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury, said the boycott must be lifted. "Whether they like it or not their current position looks like anti-semitism. I know there was a debate within the MCB. It is unfortunate that the old guard are stuck in a timewarp."

The Guardian, "Senior Muslims tried to reverse Holocaust memorial day snub", 27 January 2007

2007-01-26T11:41:00.000Z

Kelly's Heroes.........not mentioning the "P" word......Palestine!

Yo, Siddiqui, are you afraid to even whisper the word Palestine because you might lose your funding from government? Shame on you!

Some young UK Muslims defy community's
boycott of Holocaust Memorial Day

Ahead of the City circle event, Asim Siddiqui, chairman of the group, said that the Holocaust "represents an example of mass murder and genocide that should never be forgotten, particularly at a time when Europe is uneasy about, and even fearful of, its minorities, including its Muslims."

"The Srebrenica massacre on our doorstep, only 11 years ago, and the Rwandan genocide of 1994, in which up to a million people were killed," he continued, "remind us that no one can afford to be complacent about any increase in racism and intolerance in Europe or anywhere else."

Jerusalem Post, 22 January 2007

2007-01-16T12:32:00.000Z

From apartheid sympathiser to .........Sheik Shaheed Satardien! Don't be fooled!

In 2000 Shaheed Satardien, joined the New National Party in South Africa, an offshoot of the supremacist white nationalist party that introduced, implemented and defended Apartheid.

so much for his anti-apartheid credentials.....

Dublin imam takes on the fanatics

A Muslim cleric is taking a stand against those who preach Islamic extremism in Ireland and think that the cult of the suicide bomber is noble

Henry McDonald
Sunday January 14, 2007
The Observer

Beneath a basketball net in a freezing sports hall, a Muslim cleric is waging war on Islamic extremism.

Imam Shaheed Satardien is taking a stand against those Muslims in Ireland whom he claims are too sympathetic to Osama bin Laden and the cult of the suicide bomber. At Friday prayers in the sports hall in north-west Dublin, the South African-born former anti-apartheid activist warns his multinational congregation against blaming other religions and the West in general for all Muslims' ills.

more...http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1990069,00.html

2006-12-29T15:27:00.000Z

Yo! Michael, should you be telling Muslim women what to wear when you dress up like this?

Ban veils in public, says Asian bishop

By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Sunday Telegraph

24/12/2006

Muslim women should be banned from wearing the veil, to improve security and cohesion in Britain, the Church of England's only Asian bishop has said.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, urged the Government to introduce legislation that would force Muslims to remove the veil when they are at work or travelling.

In an outspoken attack on the custom of Muslim women to cover their faces, the Pakistani-born bishop said that the Islamic community needed to make greater efforts to integrate into British society.

"It is fine if they want to wear the veil in private, but there are occasions in public life when it is inappropriate for them to wear it," he said.

Michael, people in glass houses.....

2006-10-09T13:01:00.000+01:00

Yasmin, democracy means that you can frock ...or defrock yourself!

"But the most important reason for opposing the veil is one of principle. So long as it ensures genuinely equal standards for all, a liberal nation has no obligation to extend its liberalism to condone the most illiberal practices. State institutions as well as private companies should have the right to stipulate that a person whose face cannot be seen need not be served.

...Few Britons have realized that the hijab — now more widespread than ever — is, for Islamicist puritans, the first step on a path leading to the burqa, where even the eyes are gauzed over.

...The robe is a physical manifestation of the pernicious idea of women as carriers of original sin; it assumes that the sight of a cheek or a lock of hair turns Muslim men into predators. The niqab rejects human commonalities. The women who wear it want to observe fellow citizens, but remain unseen, as if they were cctv cameras."

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Nothing to Hide, Time magazine, 8 October 2006

http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901061016-1543877,00.html

..........and this applies to you also, Saira

"The growing number of women veiling their faces in Britain is a sign of radicalisation.

...It is an extreme practice. It is never right for a woman to hide behind a veil and shut herself off from people in the community. But it is particularly wrong in Britain, where it alien to the mainstream culture for someone to walk around wearing a mask. The veil restricts women, it stops them achieving their full potential in all areas of their life and it stops them communicating. It sends out a clear message: “I do not want to be part of your society.”

....Some Muslim women say that it is their choice to wear it; I don’t agree. Why would any woman living in a tolerant country freely choose to wear such a restrictive garment? What these women are really saying is that they adopt the veil because they believe that they should have less freedom than men, and that if they did not wear the veil men would not be accountable for their uncontrollable urges — so women must cover-up so as not to tempt men. What kind of a message does that send to women?"

Saira Khan, fired from the Apprentice, Why Muslim women should thank Straw, The Times, 9 October 2006

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-2394934,00.html

2006-09-20T13:15:00.000+01:00

Who are these people ....fruitcakes or agent provocateurs? - Anjem Choudary and his gang of merry masked men!

“Fruitcake is also used, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States, as insulting slang for a 'crazy person' (e.g. "he's a complete fruitcake"). It is derived from the expression "nutty as a fruitcake", which was first recorded in 1935.

An agent provocateur is a person who secretly disrupts a group's activities from within the group. Agents provocateur are typically representing the interests of another group, or are agents who are directly assigned to provoke unrest, violence, debate, or argument by or within a group while acting as a member of the group…. provocateurs deliberately carry out or seek to incite counter-productive and/or ineffective acts, in order to foster public disdain for the group and provide a pretext for aggression; and to worsen the punishments its members are liable for.” (Wikipedia)

2006-09-11T13:49:00.000+01:00

The Mail on Sunday
10 September 2006

Two faces of Khalid Mahmood!

Before....

After......

You be the judge.....will Khalid Mahmood pull more votes with or without his moustache?

2006-09-06T16:16:00.000+01:00

Like rats....first to jump the sinking ship to save his butt.....but he didn't jump over Iraq and Lebanon !

....from Sky News (6 September 2006)

Seven Labour MPs have quit Government posts in protest at Tony Blair's refusal to say when he will stand down as PM. Mr Blair hit back with accusations of disloyalty.Earlier, The Sun reported he will step down as Labour leader on May 31 and resign as PM on July 26.

Tom Watson quit as a junior defence minister and was followed by six Parliamentary Private Secretaries Khalid Mahmood, Wayne David, Ian Lucas, Mark Tami, Chris Mole and David Wright.

They argued it was not "in the interest of either the party or the country" for Mr Blair to remain in office.

2006-09-01T11:12:00.000+01:00

Let's welcome Bro Michael, who believes that all Muslims students are in peril....and echoes Tony Blair's "dodgy theology" refrain!

"University students are already victims of groups that promote exclusivist and extremist interpretations of Islam on campuses."

Michael Mumisa, "How young Muslims are being led astray", The Independent, 31 August 2006

2006-08-29T14:11:00.000+01:00

One more song for the day trippin', kibbutz hoppin', t-shirted jammin', Muslim leaders

2006-08-29T14:00:00.000+01:00

Dedicated to the muslim leaders on their return from the Kibbutz

2006-08-29T12:36:00.000+01:00

We're all going on a summer holiday - British Muslims representing the "silent majority" jamming in a Kibbutz illegally created on stolen Palestinian lands!

Fiyaz Mughal, deputy president of the Liberal Democrats, Haras Rafique, co-founder of the Sufi Muslim Council, Azhar Ali, Labour Party, Sayeeda Warsi, vice-chair of the Conservative Party and Riaz Ahmad, former mayor of Oldham were rubbing shoulders with ethnic cleansers in Palestine.

While Israel was killing Palestinians and Lebanese, these "leaders" were tanning in the desert sun.

Here's some of the the happy holiday makers. You know what the rest of them look like!

Fiyaz Mughal: "I wore my Givat Haviva T-shirt with pride this Saturday in North London."

Sayeeda Warsi

Riaz Ahmad

Whaddya know!

The Givat Haviva Institute, founded by the HaShomer HaTzair Movement, educates and acts to promote the values of equality and human dignity. Hashomer Hatzair, the initial Zionist youth movement was founded in Eastern Europe on the eve of the First World War. Hashomer Hatzair forthwith adopted a Zionist ideology and stressed the need for the Jewish people to normalize their lives by changing their economic structure (as merchants) and to become workers and farmers, who would settle in the Land of Israel and work the land as "chalutzim" (pioneers).

2006-08-25T16:45:00.000+01:00

Oh so nice of you to join the club Mr Masood!

Ehsan Masood, a prominent Muslim writer and journalist says:

"Yet Muslims in parliament, academia and the MCB, rather than thinking about how to reassure those who are afraid, seem merely to look around for someone to blame—and the easiest target is this country’s foreign policy."

Ehsan Masood, Leadership Troubles, Prospect, September 2006

But a former special adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office says:

"We know it. They know it. We know that they know it. So why do they continue to deny it? I am, of course, talking about the very obvious connection between British foreign policy and the rising terrorist threat, and the government's refusal to come to terms with it."

David Clark, 'Blair's foreign policy is now a threat to national security', The Guardian, 25 August 2006

2006-08-25T12:46:00.000+01:00

Who's the snitch.......

"I urge everyone in our communities to support the police and the security services in their fight against the evil of terrorism. They cannot win that battle alone. We all have a responsibility as communities and individuals, which is why I am happy to say that over the past few weeks I have passed on information to the authorities about possible terrorist activity. I shall continue to do so. A handful of people in the Muslim community may say that that represents a betrayal of Islam, but I regard it as a fundamental act of Islam"

Shahid Malik, MP, House of Commons, 26 October 2005

2006-08-22T18:56:00.000+01:00

Malcolm X - message to "da house Muslims"- You know and we know who you are!

2006-08-20T18:36:00.000+01:00

Sufi Muslim Council and Muslim Global Relief

Is a relief organization sponsoring the SMC? Is your money, destined to help the poor and needy, being used to fund a shadowy organization that is closely tied to US neo-conservatives whose policies are killing thousands of Muslims? Is the Muslim Global Relief also sponsoring the SMC's magazine, Spirit? Do you know where your money is going to when you send it to MGR?

Haras Rafique at the launch of the SMC - see banner in the background

2006-08-15T12:25:00.000+01:00

Can you see the difference, Haras? If not, then you have a problem

Haras Rafiq, of the recently formed Sufi Muslim Council, called on the government to give more support to those trying to root out extremism. But he added: "The first thing that we need to do as a community is admit there is a problem. It is like being an alcoholic - we need to stand up and say these things and have an open and honest debate." 14 August 2006, BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4789617.stm

2006-08-15T11:59:00.000+01:00

Guess who's back - Labour Party hack Azhar Ali - now a Sufi!

Azhar Ali, Ruth Kelly, Haras Rafique at the launch of the Sufi Muslim Council

Just in case you missed it:

THE PENDLE POSTAL VOTE PROBLEM - MAY 2002

It was observed by Liberal agents at the opening of the postal votes for Bradley ward that large numbers of the postal votes were accompanied by Declarations of Identity which had been witnessed by just five people, including Councillor Azhar Ali, Councillor Mohammed Iqbal and (newly elected) Councillor Saqqib Nasim.

http://www.stolenvotes.org.uk/penwhat

2006-08-15T11:16:00.000+01:00

Now we know why Mr Toady did not sign!

Khalid Mahmood, the Muslim MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, said he had refused to sign the letter and accused those behind it of "grandstanding"."It is just an attempt to raise their own individual profiles so they can ... appease some of the more radical elements of Islam."

The Guardian, 14 August 2006

2006-08-14T18:01:00.000+01:00

Kabbani, Karimov and the Sufi Muslim Council

On 8 September 2000, Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani and Hedieh Mirahmadi met with the president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. The oh, so chubby Karimov is one of Central Asia's most autocratic leaders, running a repressive regime which retains many aspects of its Soviet past. He does not tolerate dissent, and has banned manopposition groups, particularly Islamic organizations.

Quotable quote from Karimov:

"I'm prepared to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, in order to save peace and calm in the republic. If my child chose such a path, I myself would rip of his head". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4554997.stm (17 May 2005)

Leading the cheering for Karimov is Hedieh Mirahmadi:

"We were all grateful to experience for ourselves the spectacular growth of
this new republic. We sincerely believe Uzbekistan will be a formidable
contributor to Islamic tradition and culture for centuries to come. Their
great history and scholarship will preserve the traditional Islamic
teachings of our ancestors and deserves the support and acknowledgement of
the American Muslim community."

Just in case you missed it: Mirahmadi is also one of the founding members of the newly reconstituted Committee on the Present Danger (CPD), a hawkish neo con group which was resuscitated to stem the rising tide of antiwar sentiment in the US. As an apologist for one of the most repressive regimes on earth, Ms. Mirahmadi is the Present Danger. She embodies the real program of the neocons as they seek out all types of brutal dictators to prosecute the "war on terror".

More from Mirahmadi:

"Ultimately, our long-term success in the war against terror will be determined by how effectively free people everywhere wage the ideological battle, which cannot be fought with military might or law enforcement. As Americans, we cherish the universal human rights of freedom and we need to help others who struggle every day to enjoy those same rights."

2006-08-13T19:28:00.000+01:00

The Sufi Muslim Council, Sheikh Kabbani and the neo-cons

Hedieh Mirahmadi is a lawyer and a former top aide to Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani. She is a foreign policy analyst at the right-wing neo conservative think tank, the American Enterprise Institute. From 1998-2001 she was the general counsel to the Islamic Supreme Council of America and from 2001-2004 she was its Executive Director.

2006-08-13T19:00:00.000+01:00

Profound observation from leader of Sufi Muslim Council - just like MP Khalid Mahmood, SMC did not sign the letter to Tony Blair

"We are seeing a huge politicisation of faith rather than (economic) circumstances. An ideology is taking hold of our youngsters."

Harris Rafique, The Guardian, 12 August 2006

2006-08-12T15:28:00.000+01:00

British Muslims blame UK foreign policy - except one MP!

"As British Muslims we urge you to do more to fight against all those who target civilians with violence, whenever and wherever that happens. It is our view that current British government policy risks putting civilians at increased risk both in the UK and abroad.

Extract from the letter, signed by three Muslim MPs, three peers and 38 groups, that was sent to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, 12 August 2006.

Khalid Mahmood did not sign because he believes his master:

"If we want to defeat the extremism, we have got to defeat its ideas and we have got to address the completely false sense of grievance against the West."

Tony Blair, in an evidence session before the Commons Liaison Committee, 5 July 2006

2006-08-11T14:25:00.000+01:00

Looking for signs of intelligence - not on this MP!

Khalid Mahmood, a Birmingham Labour MP, appealed to local communities to provide as much extra information as possible to help the police, saying the arrests were based on "fairly good intelligence" and would not prove unfounded or increase tensions.

"We need the communities to work more together with the police and security services to provide any more information they may have on these people. We have to be very vigilant.

There has been a lot more intelligence. The authorities have not just relied on people informing ... but have done surveillance themselves for some time. This has not been something which has been rushed."

The Guardian
11 August 2006

2006-08-07T17:02:00.000+01:00

If you fail to set up a TV channel, just start an organization so that you can get an audience, so that you might get viewers, so that you might be able to set up a TV channel - from TV to Sufi!

Evening Manchester News, 27 April 2005

"Bridges TV will be available to 10 million households on Freeview and digital cable when it is launched later this year.

Station bosses want "feel-good" programmes such as cartoons, quiz shows and the Islamic equivalents of Sesame Street and Blue Peter to dispel negative images of Muslims. Filming has begun for programmes at the station's studios in the town centre.

Station co-founder Haras Rafiq said he felt British Muslims had been ignored by most broadcasters. He said: "We wanted to show that Muslims are not all about burning flags and shouting and we want to do this in a way that is entertaining. Our programmes have good ethics and are family-friendly.

"We want to put Rochdale on the map."

2006-08-07T16:46:00.000+01:00

Mr Rafiq, sounding like his master's voice - Blair or Kabbani!

"The prime minister and others have on many occasions rightly called for moderate Muslims to stand up and be counted. In response to this call, and following extensive consultations within the Muslim community, we have decided to establish the Sufi Muslim Council."

"Sufis count among the vast silent majority of Britain's two million strong Muslim community. Up to now they have lacked an externally visible voice and the intent of forming this council is to provide just such a strong voice."

"There is an urgent need for the British Muslim community to engage in an internal debate to isolate the ideologies who falsely claim to represent Islam, to develop a strong field of moderate, intellectually astute, forward-thinking leaders and scholars who can promote the moderate values of civic society, engagement and diversity which characterize classical Islam."

Haras Rafiq, co-founder of the Sufi Muslim Council, 19 July 2006

2006-07-31T15:21:00.000+01:00

Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani and the Sufi Muslim Council - strange friends indeed!

..."that United States has to look on within, for security, is the fact that there are many Muslim organizations that claim to speak on behalf of the Muslim community but that in reality are not moderate, but extremist. They hijacked the mike, or they were elected because they are good speakers, but they give a wrong idea about Islam. Always we see them in the media criticizing and complaining and sending action alerts and media alerts and showing people that we do not accept this or we reject that."

"So it means that the methodology or ideology of extremist has been spread to 80% of the Muslim population, but not all of them agree with it. But mostly the youth and the new generation do because they are students and they don't think except with their emotions and they are rebellious against their own leaders and government. This is the nature and psychology of human beings. When we are students in university or college we always fight the government, whether they are right or wrong, we have to attack the government. This is how they have been raised."

Statements by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani at the Open Forum at the U.S. Department of State, January 7, 1999

"I met with the president on Sept. 6. The president is really a spiritual person, a very loving and caring person. He liked me and I liked him. It was a very positive meeting."

Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani in an interview with J. Michael Waller of the Institute of World Politics, 1 October 2002.

Check out who else the Shaykh was hanging out with:

October 2004 Met with President George Bush and VP Dick Cheney

March 2002	Met with His Excellency President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan during his first official visit to the U.S. and discussed future plans for mutual cooperation.
March 2002	Met with Asst. Secretary of Defense, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz and his staff, to introduce the activities of ISCA and its promotion of moderate Islam throughout the world.

April 2001

April 2001 Official guest of the President of Uzbekistan that included a hundred member delegation of the Republic

August 2000

Met with His Excellency President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan (photo below)

January 2000	Invited by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to first State Department dinner in honor of Ramadan
November 1999	Joined U.S. Congressional representatives in generating nationwide support for an official stamp recognizing the Islamic holy month of Ramadan

2006-07-31T13:34:00.000+01:00

Sir, it's war!

"The Minister will be aware that, according to the ICM poll published in The Guardian today, 63 per cent. of people in the United Kingdom believe that the Prime Minister has tied Britain too closely to the White House, and they expect the British Government to stand up to the US. Although I agree that Hezbollah has no respect for human life, whether Muslim, Jewish or any other, the Israeli response is disproportionate and has targeted the entire Lebanese population. Is not it time for the British Government to call on the United States to call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire?"

Mohammad Sarwar
(MP, Glasgow Central, Labour)
House of Commons, 25 July 2006

2006-07-19T13:15:00.000+01:00

From Cape Town, San Francisco and now in
Oxford - the all new Taj Hargey!

Who is Taj Hargey and
what is the Muslim
Educational Centre
of Oxford (MECO)

2006-07-19T13:02:00.000+01:00

Check out your local MP

"Britain's 50 most eligible Asian bachelors"
Asian Women, Summer 2000

2006-07-06T14:46:00.000+01:00

WHY IT'S OUR DUTY TO DEFEAT TERROR

by SHAHID MALIK, MP
Daily Mail
5 July 2006

ALMOST a year ago, I stood on the steps of Downing Street, shoulder to shoulder with leaders of Britain's Muslim communities. We were united in our horror and revulsion at the July 7 bombings, and we pledged to meet the challenge head-on of rooting out the extremists - as minute in numbers as they might be - from our ranks.

We knew that the atrocities committed by a handful of lunatics in the name of Islam were a perversion of our religion and abhorrent to all, irrespective of religion. We were determined to do something about it. At the same time, we were bracing ourselves for the anti-Islamic backlash.

A year on, I am proud to say that no significant backlash has occurred. And, as the objective of the bombers was to turn Christians against Muslims and wreck community relations, they failed.

My worry now concerns those Muslim leaders, many of whom, I am sorry to say, have lost the stomach for the fight. I am fed up with their constant sniping about the Government's failure to follow up on all the recommendations of the Task Force, set up in the aftermath of the bombing.

Of course, the great majority of mainstream Muslims want the authorities to do more. Just as we want the police, post Forest Gate, to exercise minimum force and maximum sensitivity when they conduct absolutely necessary and inevitable raids in the future.

But the truth is the Government alone cannot defeat the evils of terrorism. Muslim communities must take the leadership role in overcoming the extremists who have insinuated themselves into our midst. Just as it is for white Britain to defeat and disown the British National Party, so it is down to us, Britain's Muslims, to defeat and disown the terrorist jihadists who claim so wrongly to be acting in our name.

Yet it is easier for organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain to criticise the Government, the police or the media, rather than take a long, hard look at our own communities. It is easier for them to encourage a victim culture that sees Islamophobia around every corner, rather than to challenge within. But that is not leadership. It is abdication.

That is why I almost wept when I saw the results of a poll showing that 13 per cent of British Muslims think that the July 7 terrorists should be regarded as 'martyrs'. How sick and deluded can you get?

Yes, of course I know the same poll showed more than half of all British Muslims thought the Government should be doing more to fight extremism. And 65 per cent believed the Muslim community should be doing more to integrate properly with British society.

But how many community 'leaders' have confronted that alienated 13 per cent? How many are prepared to say - like I do - that suicide bombers are not martyrs who will go straight to Heaven? They are terrorists who, according to my religious beliefs, will go straight to hell, and rightly so.

How many will say, as directly as I do, that the jihadist version of Islam is a perverted and twisted insult to our faith? How many are prepared to institute a regime of verbal 'zero tolerance' in mosques and mosque schools, forbidding any talk about bombers being holy 'martyrs'.

Not enough, I am afraid. The harsh truth is that that the post July 7 coalition is disintegratingand many people are back playing the old 'blame game' instead of trying to get to grips with our problems.

Of course the great majority of Britain's Muslims have much to be proud of this week as we mark the anniversary of the bombing - which, incidentally, killed Muslims as well as Christians, Jews and non-believers. In particular, we should honour the death of Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, the first British Muslim to be killed in active service in the global war against terror.

WHAT was so moving was that his elder brother, Zeeshan, himself a former soldier, felt able to say: 'Jabron was a committed soldier and a committed Muslim. He was fiercely proud of his Islamic background, and equally proud of being British'. What finer epitaph could there be for a brave young man, dead before his time because he did his duty? A man who saw no conflict between his duty to his country and his duty to his religion.

That is why I believe his death will be of profound significance to Muslim communities across the country. It will pull a lot of people up short, and force them to ponder this decent, honourable, religious Muslim boy whose feelings of loyalty to Britain were so strong that he was prepared to give his life in what he believed was a righteous fight against a gang of medieval fundamentalists in Afghanistan.

When the history of the war on terror is written, I suspect Jabron Hashmi will be remembered with pride as one who, in death, opened the eyes of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

That is why I remain optimistic as we prepare to mark the anniversary of the attacks.